A STUDENT who lost three relatives to cancer in two months helped raise more than £1,200 at a special gig at a Kendal nightclub.

Conor Bolton got together young DJs from South Lakeland to perform at the event - called Haywire - at Studio-Loft to offer youngsters an alternative night out.

The former Kirkbie Kendal School pupil also arranged the night to raise money for the two charities which supported his grandfather, grandmother and uncle in their final days - Cancer Research UK and St John’s Hospice, Lancaster.

Conor, 20, who is currently studying English Language at Newcastle University, hopes people will continue donating to the two causes via an online JustGiving page.

“Young people in Kendal are always complaining about how boring the nightlife is here, yet nobody ever does anything about it,” he said.

“I help organise, promote and host events in Newcastle around my degree, and I wanted to use that experience to bring something different to a night out in Kendal.”

Well-known names on South Lakeland’s DJ scene, including Andy Hackney, Liam Richardson and Sam Tempest, offered their support with others from Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle also taking to the decks.

Conor said he wanted to bring a ‘fresh sound’ to Kendal’s nightlife, adding: “I wanted the genres and styles of music that matter most to young people right now - house, electro, drum and bass and hip-hHop - at Haywire.”

Matthew Harris, a live MC who is big on the music scene in Leeds and originally from Kendal, performed and hosted the night.

There were also street dancers and original projections designed by Kendal’s Jamie Wilde.

Conor said the event was a ‘massive success’, attracting more than 330 people through the door on a Tuesday night.

“In the last two months I have lost both my grandparents and my uncle to cancer, and all of them spent many of their last days at St John's Hospice in Lancaster, which did an absolutely incredible job,” explained Conor.

“Setting up, organising and promoting Haywire took months of preparation so it is a brilliant feeling to see all my hard work paying off for two great causes."

Conor’s JustGiving page will be left open until the end of April to continue receiving donations.

It can be found at www.justgiving.com/KENDALHAYWIRE